A must have Daphne ,Camelias, Peris, Rhodendrums,Skimmia,vinca for groundcover, and phlox for groundcover .

Some to start you off

Check this blog out Snoop which I started and then added to with the help of lots of folk on here

http://www.growsonyou.com/anchorman/blog/12681-plants-with-a-very-long-flowering-season

If you want interest year round, you'll need a mix of shrubs and perennials, and some of the shrubs need to be evergreen. As your garden is west facing and not large, so long as the soil isn't alkaline, things like Skimmia and Pieris are worth considering. Sarcococca varieties too are useful in shadier gardens. Fuchsias do well in shade - use hardy ones though, not the bedding type sold for boxes and baskets. Elaeagnus for a large shrub - E. pungens maculata provide a bright yellow/green variegated backdrop in winter. If there's not enough space for one of those, use Euonymus such as Emerald n'Gold or E. Silver Queen. Campanulas such as C. persicifolia, C. portenschlagiana - the latter makes good evergreen ground cover.

Thanks guys all this advice is priceless, im making notes, going to get the before photos on on thursday when i get to work, will keep photos of progress, thanks! Off to google all the plants that you mentioned :-)

Ooo campanlas are very pretty

Oooo so it the vinca, very cute, off to read blog, thanks guys

Ooh, lord, take my advice and don't bother with the Vinca - its a pain in the proverbial. If you don't pull up all the stems in the air twice a year and give it the Chelsea chop, it'll be running all over the garden, leaving plenty of space between its runners for weeds to colonise. Poor ground cover, not worth it for a few sporadic flowers in spring, frankly.